Funding boost to bring game-changing growth to BioCommons
Australian BioCommons is poised to undertake a period of significant growth following the Department of Education’s announcement of crucial new funding to Australia’s National Collaborative Research Infrastructure Strategy (NCRIS). This will deliver a variety of game-changing national infrastructure developments to support omics-based life science research, with Bioplatforms Australia allocating funding to the BioCommons over the 2023-27 period in three growth areas:
Integrated analysis platforms for omics research through the development of a ‘BioCloud’ - a unified set of ‘research context aware’ digital services tailored to meet the requirements of life sciences researchers to work with molecular biological data, using bioinformatics tools and workflows on a variety of infrastructures.
Foundational infrastructure for accelerating biodiversity research and conservation (Australian Tree of Life (AToL) Data Laboratories) bringing together national ‘omics data with multidisciplinary data (environment, climate, trait) and connecting these to build a portfolio of transparent and repeatable analytical tools supporting deeply informed biodiversity and biosecurity management decisions.
A translational human ‘omics data infrastructure program (GUARDIANS) to drive a step change to cutting-edge national digital research infrastructure and unlock Australia’s potential in human ‘omics research through the provision of secure, scalable, and integrated data and analytics platforms.
These three projects will be delivered in collaboration with the growing network of research consortia and delivery partners established by the BioCommons during its first phase.
This exciting announcement builds on a 2023-28 extension to the BioCommons project that is already underway. Having delivered significant outcomes in the first 5-year term, the contractual agreements required for a further 5 years of continuity are currently being bedded down. This will ensure ongoing support for critical national services and community building activities.
Planning for the three growth areas is already underway and will intensify over the next six months. Discussions will broaden to include key partners soon, with a view to formalising initial projects and engagements in early 2024. Expect to see many exciting announcements, invitations to participate, and new opportunities to join BioCommons activities in the near future.
The outcomes of the NCRIS 2023 Funding Round are published on the Department of Education website.
The Australian BioCommons is supported by Bioplatforms Australia. Read their announcement: Bioplatforms Secures Crucial Funding from NCRIS Program to Propel Frontier Omics Technology.